Author: Brandon Peoples

For the eighth consecutive week, Riley County’s percent positive rate of new coronavirus infections is below 5 percent. The health department says the rate fell to 1.8 percent for the week of March 14, from 32 confirmed positives out of more than 1,700 tests. Just six new cases were confirmed Wednesday, along with 10 more recoveries. Ascension Via Christi is caring for one COVID positive patient, but has no COVID patients in its Intensive Care Unit. Additionally, the pace of vaccine distribution continues to rise. More than 14,000 residents have now received one or two doses of vaccine, with about…

A Junction City man is behind bars in Riley County for an alleged attack on two people at an assisted living care facility. Riley County Police charged 51-year-old Corey Mann on a single count of aggravated assault. Police listed a 41-year-old woman and a 56-year-old woman as victims when Mann reportedly threatened them with a knife. The incident took place at Stoneybrook Retirement Community on Little Kitten Ave. Mann was jailed on a $10,000 bond.

Authorities in Pottawatomie County have arrested both suspects in Monday’s robbery of the Westmoreland Short Stop convenience store. According to Undersheriff Doug Adams, deputies arrested 21-year-old Khovaun Raymond George of Manhattan Monday night in the 15000 block of Rock Creek Road on charges of aggravated robbery. Deputies arrested 19-year-old Donovan O’Connell of Manhattan Tuesday morning at the Quality Inn on Poyntz Ave. on charges of aggravated robbery. Both individuals are confined in the Pottawatomie County Jail awaiting bond. One of the two men reportedly held a convenience store clerk at gunpoint Monday before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash…

Motorists should plan ahead if their commute has them coming in or out of Manhattan along Hwy 24. Pottawatomie County began work on several projects Monday, resulting in a long commutes home for many going east out of Manhattan. Among them is the Green Valley Road/Hwy 24 intersection project, which will see a longer, two lane left turn onto Green Valley Road from the highway, an improved intersection at Powers Lane and a frontage road north of Farmers State Bank. That entire project is expected to wrap up Aug. 1. Construction crews are also beginning work on Dempsey Road between…

A flashlight vigil is being organized by Manhattan community members Friday to protest hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Former Riley County Commission candidate and Asian Market owner Fanny Fang is leading the vigil following the March 16 shootings at Asian women-owned spas in Atlanta, Georgia which left eight dead including six Asian women. Fang says the minority communities were already on edge due to a perceived rise of xenophobia against the community when the pandemic began. The vigil will remember those lives lost and the opportunity to hear from guest speakers. It will take place from 6…

Authorities in Pottawatomie County are investigating an armed robbery that took place early Monday morning at the Short Stop convenience store in Westmoreland. Deputies arrived on scene shortly before 6 a.m. and learned that an individual entered the store, displayed a firearm at the store clerk and demanded money. According to Undersheriff Doug Adams, the suspect left the store with an undetermined amount of money and merchandise. No injuries were reported. The suspect is believed to have fled the scene with an accomplice in a blue passenger car with a black painted hood and black painted roof. The vehicle is…

Phase one of the Kimball Avenue reconstruction project gets underway Monday and will include some noticeable adjustments to the commute for residents in northwest Manhattan. City officials says the eastbound lanes of Kimball from Candlewood to K-113 Seth Child Road will be closed, with traffic shifted north, one lane each way, in the westbound lanes. The entrance to Cico Park via the Candlewood entrance will be closed until further notice as will Wreath Avenue southbound from Kimball to the K-113 southbound on-ramp and the left turn lane onto Kimball from the northbound K-113 off-ramp. Work will take between six to…

Update – 7 a.m. Friday The Kansas Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate after a pedestrian was found dead on eastbound I-70 near Fort Riley Thursday morning. Investigators believe he was walking eastbound and was struck by one or possibly more than one vehicle, near the fogline slightly east of mile marker 302. The man’s body was discovered around 5:15 a.m. Thursday. The agency says several attempts have been made to identify the unknown vehicle or vehicles and are seeking assistance from the public to help locate any vehicle that may have left the scene of the crash early Thursday…

Riley County has rolled out a new program to schedule COVID vaccines. The new software will allow individuals to select a 30-minute window that best fits within their daily schedule to receive a shot. In the past, eligible vaccine recipients could only select one hour intervals. Only those who registered with Riley County will be notified of available appointments. Appointment eligibility notifications and instructions will be sent through Everbridge and only those who receive a notification will be able to set an appointment. Anyone unable to make an appointment will have their name kept on the list and they will…

One person was hospitalized following a Thursday morning fire near 5th and Bluemont Ave. The Manhattan Fire Department says firefighters were dispatched just before 10:30 a.m. but found a single-story home with no visible flames or smoke. Fire crews determined that the fire was extinguished prior to their arrival. One occupant who was home at the time was transported by Riley County EMS to Ascension Via Christi. The owner of the home is listed as Ramona Riniker. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Loss is estimated at $100.